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Look no further than Ace Hardware, which scored highest in customer satisfaction among home improvement retailers in J.D. Power’s widely recognized annual study. Ace has now landed the coveted top spot 10 years in row, ranking positively in areas such as staff “availability” and “knowledge.” Midwest retailer Menards was named second in the study, followed by Lowe’s in third.

Other high-ranking retailers include:

• The Home Depot (No. 4)
• True Value (No. 5)
• Sears (No. 6)

“The retailer's staff is most critical to differentiating the experience provided to customers, especially when it comes to the timeliness of greeting customers, answering their questions or providing advice,” said Greg Truex, senior director of the at-home practice at J.D. Power, in a statement about the study.

Customers are happiest when staff members understand the questions they ask and provide product or purchase advice, according to study findings.

More homeowners are taking on improvements to their houses this year, partly in response to a rosier economic outlook. The Home Improvement Research Institute estimates home improvement spending will jump to $332 billion in 2016.

First-time homebuyers today face many obstacles on the path to homeownership—but in some markets, there are less obstacles and more opportunities.

According to recently released research by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), some metropolitan areas have surpassed others in terms of feasibility for first-timers, due to increased housing affordability and promising employment growth. These areas, listed alphabetically, are:

“Even with potentially higher incomes, prospective millennial homebuyers residing in some of the most expensive cities in the country face the onerous task of paying steep rents while trying to save for an adequate down payment,” explains Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “However, for those currently living in or looking to move to a more affordable part of the country, there are metro areas right now with solid job growth and that offer a smoother path to homeownership.”

For shoppers on the hunt for a bargain this summer, June sales offer discounts on everything from dad-approved duds to home improvement supplies.

“Shopping in June is prime for homeowners,” says Brent Shelton, online shopping expert with FatWallet (FatWallet.com). “Thanks to June's big Father's Day sales, smart savings on a variety of items for dads, and most anyone, help to ease spending woes for needs and wants this summer.”

FatWallet recently compiled a list of the top on-sale items this month. They are:

4K TVs – Expect to see price drops on 4K televisions this month, especially during Father's Day sales, from retailers like Best Buy, Dell and eBay. Watch, too, for “halfway to Black Friday” sales, which will price 4K TVs between $500 and $800.

Home Improvement Supplies – This month, Home Depot, Lowe's, Sears and other home improvement retailers will offer discounts on building materials, hardware, paints and stains, and more.

Menswear – Seasonal apparel for men—mostly geared toward outdoor activities—will be on sale for at least part of the month at retailers like Backcountry, REI and Patagonia.

Smart Technology – This month, smart gadgets for the home and outdoors will be offered at a steal compared to the rest of the year. Look to score on Bluetooth-enabled headphones and speakers and smart home devices.

Tools – Dads and handypeople alike can expect savings on cordless and power tools and storage sets this month. Look for 50 percent-plus discounts on products by Black & Decker, Craftsman and Milwaukee.

Gates and garage doors are two of several access points intruders may use to gain entry into a home. With one out of every 15 garage doors lacking up-to-date security features, it’s worth assessing the safety of your own garage, gates or openers.

“At LiftMaster, safety is our top priority,” says John Villanueva, vice president of marketing at LiftMaster. “To help those at home ensure their operators are working as they should, we developed a simple 3-Step Safety Check that can be done in a matter of minutes and should be conducted throughout the year when checking other home safety devices, like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.”

The 3-Step Safety Check:

1. Ensure “photo eyes,” or black sensors, are installed on the sides of the garage door, no higher than 6 inches from the ground.

2. Block a photo eye with an object taller than 6 inches. Try to close the garage with the opener—the door should remain open.

3. Place an object in the path of the door. Try to close the garage with the opener—the door should reverse once it touches the object.

If the garage door opener fails, consult with a professional as soon as possible. He or she will solve the problem with recommendations and/or service.

A professional should also be called whenever the garage doors or gates require maintenance, or if you plan to install new doors or gates.

For more on garage door and gate safety, visit www.LiftMaster.com/For-Homes/Garage-Safety.

Do you have enough hours in the day? We bet most of you wish you had more!

While connected appliances can’t make a day longer, they can help recapture more of your time. In fact, one recent study showed connected appliances save a typical household 100 hours a year.

According to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), these time savings can be sourced from several areas. If you’ll be away from home for a while, for example, connectivity ensures your appliances stay in working order while you’re gone. Should an appliance need repair, connectivity revolutionizes the process—manufacturers are already developing features in which repair technicians remotely identify problems and, in some cases, remotely repair them.

Day-to-day, a connected dishwasher, for instance, could “learn” when you typically wash dishes and begin washing them automatically. Clothes washers, in another instance, can give you guidance when it comes to cleaning a certain type of garment, saving you time spent researching.

What’s more, connected appliances have the potential—with the Smart Grid—to drive energy cost savings and improve the environment, automatically reducing energy use based on users' preferences, or allowing users to access renewable energy when available.

Want to learn more? Download AHAM’s white paper, Home Appliance Connectivity: Limitless Potential (www.aham.org/industry/ht/d/Join/pid/84076), for an introduction to the possibilities connected home appliances hold, as well as what manufacturers are doing to keep them safe and secure.

(Family Features)—When it comes to bettering your health, everyday lifestyle changes can be powerful. Take a cue from Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin and cohorts Zack Test and Carlin Isles, who rely on basic nutrition and fitness principles to fuel their days the healthy way:

Eat Breakfast – Start your day right with a nutritious meal, such as a hard-boiled egg and steel-cut oatmeal topped with fruit and almonds. Prepare your breakfast the night before to eliminate excuses come morning.

Drink Water – Drinking more water daily is one of the best ways to stay fit. Aim for at least two cups of water two hours before physical activity, one or two cups 15 minutes before exercise, and a half-cup or one cup every 15 minutes during.

Snack – Don’t forgo nutrition when hunger pangs hit. Be prepared to fuel up while on-the-go (or after a workout) with portable, nutrient-rich snacks, such as fruits, vegetables, dark chocolate or herbal tea.

Most importantly, take the time to recover after workouts. Allowing your body time to heal will not only stave off injury, but also build energy for your next bout of physical activity.

The majority of those closing in on retirement prefer to live out their golden years in their current home, according to a recently released survey by The American College of Financial Services. Eighty-three percent of respondents to the survey—The Home Equity and Retirement Income Planning Survey—do not want to relocate, and nearly all respondents have no desire to rent.

“One very interesting notion was that the desire to age in place increases significantly as you get older,” says survey author Jamie Hopkins, professor of Retirement Income Planning and co-director of The American College New York Life Center for Retirement Income Planning. “We saw more uncertainty between the ages of 55 and 62. But once we started getting past 62 and you start moving into retirement, we saw that these individuals really don't expect or want to leave their homes.”

Forty-four percent of respondents to the survey have considered tapping into their existing home’s equity in retirement, but just one-quarter (25 percent) are comfortable with using it as income.

“This is really going to open a lot of eyes about just how little people moving into retirement with some home equity know about reverse mortgages,” Hopkins says of the findings.

As evidenced by the survey, reverse mortgages are worth consideration if only to educate the homeowner.

“Hopefully that's the biggest takeaway from this survey," Hopkins added. “Advisors and consumers need to start thinking about home equity, including reverse mortgages, as part of the retirement income planning process.”

Traditionally, hardwood floors added warmth and natural beauty to the home. These days, hardwood competes with copycat laminates and engineered wood floors, which can cost less. The differences between wood and wood-like flooring, according to Melissa Maker, host of the Clean My Space channel on YouTube:

Hardwood – Hardwood flooring is made of solid, natural wood. Costing between $6 and $15 per square foot, it is typically made with a tongue and groove system for easy installation. It is simple to sand and refinish, but is easier to damage and requires a healthy amount of maintenance to keep it looking great.

Laminates – The core of laminate flooring is made of high density fiber (HDF), as opposed to actual slabs of wood. The top layer is a photographic layer that mimics the look of hardwood. It won’t fool a discriminating eye, but at about half the cost of hardwood flooring, it will take more abuse, is easy to clean, and is installed using a tongue and groove locking system you can install or uninstall with ease.

Engineered Hardwood – A hybrid more expensive than laminate and costing about as much as hardwood, engineered hardwood has a core of plywood or HDF and a top layer composed of a hardwood veneer glued onto the core. It has the more natural characteristics of wood, but it handles heat and moisture better because of the core material. It may be refinished, but generally only once.

Despite their differences, all three types of flooring may be cleaned the same way, Maker adds. They should be swept or dust-mopped regularly, and cleaned with a drop of dish liquid and a capful of white vinegar mixed into a bucket of warm water.

For many homeowners, watering the lawn is a guessing game—sometimes with a losing outcome.

Knowing when and how to water your lawn is a science, says Bryan Ostlund, executive director of Grass Seed USA, a national coalition of grass seed farmers and academic turf specialists.

“When it gets hot, the most common mistake people make is to excessively water their lawn,” Ostlund says. “However, your lawn only needs to be watered once or twice a week during the summer months. When done correctly, cutting back on irrigation can actually strengthen your lawn.”

Less watering stimulates deep root growth, which can be a boon in drought-prone areas, Ostlund adds. (Not to mention, overwatering can also counter community efforts to curb water consumption!)

Water with no more than 2 inches each week, Ostlund recommends. This will compensate for the lack of rainfall in summer without risking over-saturation.

The best time to break out the hose is early or late in the day, says Ostlund. This allows for deeper absorption, because the sun will not evaporate the water as rapidly as it would mid-day.

More homeowners are renting out their unused bedrooms to supplement income—to the tune of 33.6 million!

That’s the number of extra rooms available across the country, according to a recent Finder.com analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Assuming each of these rooms could be rented out for $100 a week (a rock-bottom rent in many markets!), homeowners all told could earn $174 billion each year.

The breakdown, based on Census data, is as follows: there are 357,032,421 bedrooms in the U.S., and 323,391,100 people, leaving a surplus of 33,641,321 rooms. The total number of spare rooms is likely to be even higher, since many couples share a bedroom.

Where are all these available bedrooms?

Florida leads with 3,026,887 bedrooms, according to Finder.com, with Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina rounding out the top five.

The average homeowner renting out an extra room, Finder.com’s analysis shows, can expect to gain $5,000 a year in rental income—an amount significant enough to pay down a mortgage.

Renting out an extra room is not decision to be taken lightly, however. Be sure to:

• Check with your accountant for the tax implications of the extra income and how to handle relevant tax payments.

• Research relevant county or state laws surrounding letting spare rooms.

• See if the terms of your lease allow subleasing of rooms, and if there are relevant local regulations.

• Make sure that your home insurance policy covers tenants, as well.

• Do a background investigation of potential tenants. Interview them in person and ask for financial records that demonstrate their income.

• Request a rental bond and two weeks’ rent in advance—this will offer you some security if your tenant proves unreliable.

Your real estate professional may also be a resource worth consulting.